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A review by crasscasualty
Dreamsnake by Vonda N. McIntyre
4.0
Snake, the protagonist of this novel, is a healer and uses genetically manipulated snakes to cure all manner of ailments. When one of her rare alien snakes is killed, she embarks on a quest to find a replacement so she can continue practicing her profession.
What was most interesting about this novel is how it deals with science and the post-apocalyptic landscape. Initially, it seems like the action is taking place in a generic fantasy landscape and the snake healing is some kind of magic. It’s only very slowly revealed that the bleak surroundings are actually the earth after centuries of nuclear fallout. Similarly, what seems like mysticism is eventually explained to be very careful genoming projects and genetic manipulation. The ambient effect of these reveals is that all of these actualities seem to exist in the same space and time; it sounds confusing, but it is refreshing and challenging. I love genre-fuckery.
Dreamsnake is adorably 70s (I mean, just look at the title/cover) and I found it an enjoyable read. Apart from the interesting pieces I’ve mention, nothing was particularly revolutionary. It was just fun, well constructed, and ably-written.
What was most interesting about this novel is how it deals with science and the post-apocalyptic landscape. Initially, it seems like the action is taking place in a generic fantasy landscape and the snake healing is some kind of magic. It’s only very slowly revealed that the bleak surroundings are actually the earth after centuries of nuclear fallout. Similarly, what seems like mysticism is eventually explained to be very careful genoming projects and genetic manipulation. The ambient effect of these reveals is that all of these actualities seem to exist in the same space and time; it sounds confusing, but it is refreshing and challenging. I love genre-fuckery.
Dreamsnake is adorably 70s (I mean, just look at the title/cover) and I found it an enjoyable read. Apart from the interesting pieces I’ve mention, nothing was particularly revolutionary. It was just fun, well constructed, and ably-written.